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Forget About Greatness, Just Keep Improving
And enjoy the journey
When we are children, we are often told that we can be great.
“You can be anything you set your mind to be.”
“You could grow up to be President of the United States.”
“Don’t give up on your dreams.”
“You can do anything if you want it bad enough.”
Really?
How many Olympic gold medalists do you know personally? I don’t know any. And unless they add napping to the list of Olympic events, I am confident I will never win one.
How many Presidents of the United States have there been? The answer is 45, over a span of 244 years. There will likely be about a dozen Presidents in your lifetime. That’s a tiny group to shoot for. Odds are not good that you will become President. And there are far easier ways to get half the country to hate you.
I imagine most people dream of greatness. It is only natural to want to excel in your endeavors. But the truth is, if everyone was able to attain greatness, then great would become average.
A better goal for most people is to continually improve. Be the best you can be. That is a realistic goal. If you do make it to great, wonderful. Well done. But if you don’t, and you likely…
